Almost Too Late
by NCISAngel
Summary: Spoilers from end of Season 2 to Present Season 8 McGee tells Abby about his mission and things take a turn for the worse in their friendship. But will the fight bring them closer than ever before when Abby figures out she can't live w/o McGee?
1. Undercover Assignment

**Title: **Almost Too Late

**Rating:** Teen for violence, language, and suggested themes

**Summary: **Tim tells Abby about his mission and things take a turn for the worse in their friendship.

**Spoilers: **Season 5-8

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Undercover Assignment<strong>

Tim was fidgeting with nervousness in the elevator. He was on his way down to Abby's lab. Normally he would be excited and happy to go down to Abby's lab but he had bad news. Well bad news to Abby that is. The news to him was great. It was a chance to prove himself even more to the team.

He was supposed to fly out to New York in about two hours for Gibbs and Director on an undercover mission. He tried to slip out but Gibbs had caught him by the shoulder and told him to say goodbye to Abby. Once again, Timothy McGee could not say no to his boss. But this meant that he had to tell Abby.

He knew that this would not go well with Abby. As the elevator doors opened he closed his eyes and grimaced as he heard her music coming from the lab. He considered pressing the up button and going back but he knew Gibbs would be furious if he found out that he hadn't said goodbye to Abby.

Tim gave a deep sigh and walked across and into her lab.

Abby swayed to her music. She was in a very good mood because it seemed that her work was going by very fast. Every batch of evidence she got she was able to identify and get all the data she could off of it in less than 30 minutes.

Tim stopped in the doorway and took a quick glance at her butt, well, that is what her skirt would let him see. She felt his presence immediately and spun around. Tim was still staring because when she spun he saw a hint more skin.

Abby smiled and said, "So Jerry was right."

Tim remembered the dude that had come down to Abby's lab. He had to recall if he had and then he recalled sneaking a couple of glances while she had turned around. He blushed and reminded himself that if he ever saw that guy again to punch him in the face.

Abby said when Tim looked too embarrassed to speak, "Aww. Don't worry, Timmy. I love the attention, even if given without me knowing." She smiled as she turned back around to her computer.

Tim couldn't help but take another quick peek and then walked up beside her and said, "So, what ya' doing?"

Abby was still smiling as she faced Tim and said, "Well, McPeeper, I am going through the evidence of a Jane Doe's belongings. I have found out who she is and have a theory on how she was murdered."

Tim tried to sound interested but he needed to get this over with. He said, "That's great Abby. I have to-"

Abby put a finger on his lip to shut him up and said, "McGee, if you're going to look at my butt you can pay me the honor of telling you my theory."

Tim sighed and tried again, mumbling against her finger, "But, Abby, I-"

Abby went on and said, "Now I found some finger prints, one index finger and one middle finger. Now this guy must have been holding a rag or something because it is impossible to just hold a knife with only those two fingers. That would be something impressive. I should ask Ziva later if that's possible."

Tim deeply sighed, annoyed. Her theory was already probably long so with her extra commenting it was going to last a long time. Abby heard and felt him sigh. She brought her finger from his lips and gave him a wide smile.

"So after I found those partials I ran them through my computer and came up with a match. Adriane Rivera, he's wanted for crossing the United States border and has not been caught since. I'm guessing he was getting cocky with himself so he decided to kill this woman just out of randomness. Ducky of course scolded me and said that his motive could be stronger and that we should look more into it."

Tim couldn't believe Abby had that much oxygen. He was impressed. He was about to start when Abby asked, "Now, what do you want to tell me that is so urgent?"

Tim finally came back to the reason he was down here and his face fell. She was in such a good mood. He was going to bring her down and he knew it.

Abby was getting worried and said, "McGee, you're worrying me. What's wrong?"

Tim was about to tell her when they both heard a ding form a computer. She turned to face the computer in front of her. Tim looked at it and asked, "What is it?"

Abby started pulling up all her page on her computer and said, "It's not coming from this computer. It must be from the one in my office."

She went to her computer and saw that someone had emailed her from an unknown source. Abby said, "It must be the results from the knife's blood."

She practically skipped to her office and sat down at her chair. Tim slowly made his way to her office. Her music was really loud in the office since it was where the stereo was positioned and McGee had to restrain himself from covering his ears.

"Abby, I really need to tell you-"

Abby was printing out the results and said, "Hold that thought. I have to report this to Gibbs."

She got up to retrieve the results but was startled when Tim grabbed her shoulder and said, "I'm leaving, Abbs." But he had just said it when I heavy metal song came on and drowned out his words.

His eyes rolled and he turned and turned off the music. When he turned he was surprised to see and hear Abby ask, "What do you mean you're leaving?" Then Tim remembered that she could read lips from living with deaf parents.

Tim sighed and continued, "I'm leaving for two weeks to go to New York City to go on an undercover mission."

Abby's attitude suddenly turned. One minute she was having a very happy day and the next her best friend was leaving for two weeks. And going undercover. That would probably mean he would be going close to drug dealers or something like that. He could get hurt. Worse, he could never come back.

Her brain was completely spinning and she felt dizzy for a second. Tim saw her expression and put both his hands on her shoulders to steady her.

When she got over her dizziness and Tim brought his hands down. She slowly started shaking her head and said, "No, you can't."

Tim frowned and thought, 'Oh no. Here we go.'

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><p><strong>Mean cliffhanger, I know but hey. I'm almost done with the second chapter. it should be up tomorrow when i get up! :)<strong>


	2. Can't Go

**Chapter ****Two: **Can't Go

"Timmy, you can't go."

"Abs, Gibbs has given me this assignment and I'm sorry but I must leave."

Abby couldn't believe what she had just heard Agent Timothy McGee say. He had said that he was leaving to go New York on a secret mission for two weeks. He couldn't! Not after all she had gone through with all the past events. He couldn't just get up and leave!

Abby suddenly got an idea. As he turned around to leave she swiped her hand-cuffs off her desk. She hid both her hands behind her back to make it look like she was being innocent.

She said, right as Tim was about to leave through the automatic opening door of her office, "So, what? Are you just going to leave me without giving me a good-bye hug?" She silently clasped one handcuff around one of her wrist as she asked that question so he wouldn't be able to hear it. Tim didn't suspect a thing when he turned around to face her.

Abby was smiling at him. At first Tim was confused at the sudden change of attitude but shrugged it off. He couldn't stand how cute Abby looked with her hands behind her back and that adoring smile on her face. Tim smiled back and was relieved that Abby understood.

He came in for a hug and Abby accepted it while slowly moving the hand cuff, that wasn't on her wrist, to his. To Tim this just felt like she was about to hold his hand. He said with closed eyes, "I'll come back form New York City, Abby. Don't worry." He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

Abby sighed and said, "I'm sorry Tim. But I just can't let you go that far away. Not without a fight that is." He opened his eyes confused at first but then he heard the sound of a hand cuff closing. Before he could have reacted she had already clasped the hand cuff around Tim's wrist and Tim suddenly came apart from the hug. It was hard to do but he managed to get about a foot apart from Abby.

Abby couldn't stop smiling at the befuddled look on Tim's face. It was quite cute watching him think. But then his thinking expression turned to anger. He said, "Abby. Get the key and get me out of these."

Abby felt like being stubborn and said, "No."

Tim raised his eyebrows threateningly and said, "Abby, Gibbs is gonna come down here at any second to get me if I don't go up to the bull pin."

Abby smirked and said, "No he's not." And with a push of a button with the remote (Abby had also swiped off her desk), the front lab door shut at once. Tim heard the click of the lock and was now cursing Gibbs for putting an automatic lock on Abby's door.

Tim looked at Abby and said, "Let me go Abby. You are acting like a child."

Abby glared at him and said, "I already told you my answer, McGee. I will let you go when you promise not to go to NYC."

Tim glared right back into her blazing green emerald eyes and said through gritted teeth, "This has gone way too far now Abby. You let me go or I'll." There was a pause. Really Tim couldn't think of anything. Abby triumphantly stared at him with a smile now.

Tim finally just gave up and settled for just glaring at Abby. Abby looked away from his piercing glare and her tone softened as she said, "I'm sorry Timmy, I just can't let you go. I won't suffer through another team member's death. I refuse to. Especially yours."

Tim's glare softened just a bit and he said, "Abby." Abby refused to look at him still. She kept looking at the floor. Tim tried again and said, "Abby, look at me." When she still didn't look up at him he stepped closer to her lifted her chin with the non-cuffed hand. She reluctantly looked up and he said, "Nothing is going to happen to me."

Abby got agitated and said, "You can't say that McGee. You can't just say that you're going to be fine because the truth is that you could be dead tomorrow and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I just can't help thinking that this could be the last time we see each other."

A loose tear ran down Abby's face. Tim wiped it from her face and said, "Abby, you're right. I can't say that I am not going to die because no one knows when they are going to die but I promise that I will try my hardest to make it back. I even have an escort. You really didn't think Gibbs would send me without any protection would you?"

Abby looked up now curious. She asked, "Who's escorting you?"

Tim answered, "Agent Liens."

Abby, really jealous, said, "Well I'm defiantly not letting you go now. We don't know her well enough."

Tim said, "Don't worry, Abby, I met her at MIT. I didn't even know that we worked in the same building. It was a shock, really."

Abby mumbled, "I bet it was."

Tim asked, "What?"

Abby said, "I just think we should be on alert. I mean do you remember a LONG time ago when you were just working here and you met that woman at the crime scene. The one that dressed those girls up to look like they were in the Navy? Didn't you meet that girl in MIT too?"

Tim sighed and said, "Yes Abby. I remember. But I'm not the only person that approved of Agent Liens. She has also been approved by the Director and Gibbs. Bottom line, I am going even if I have to drag you there with me."

Abby smiled and said, "Fine."

Tim continued glaring at her and said, "Abby. Let me go now."

Abby was now starting to think he was getting a little above his normal angry state. She could tell when his voice did that husky low 'don't-you-dare-say-no-again' voice. It was sexy. But it was sexier when she watched him interrogating suspects in a murder in that voice, not talking to her in that voice.

Abby tried to keep her glare as angry as his but it was impossible. Every minute that went by of her not letting him go, Timothy McGee's glare got fiercer and fiercer. And Abby's got weaker and weaker, not to mention sullen. Abby couldn't stand it any longer and sighed. She walked sadly to her desk and opened the side cabinet with a key that was near her computer. She opened it and pulled out a small key. Tim smiled but Abby was not even close to smiling, she was so sad she was close to tears.

Tim didn't like being mean to Abby but this assignment could be a career changer. He knew Gibbs thought he was a great agent but he wanted to prove his confidence even more to him by doing this mission.

Then he saw Abby's face and seriously reconsidered. It was distraught, not even a bit of happiness or hyper-ness what so ever. He had to admit that the last time he saw her like this was Jenny's death. Or the time when she found out that all of them had been reassigned to different jobs. Or the time- Tim stopped himself. Abby had been through a lot.

He was torn between leaving and staying. But he had already told Gibbs his decision, and he was going to go through with it.

Abby took his hand in hers. He tried not to think that this could be the last time he ever got to feel never the less see her again. After Abby un-cuffed him, and herself, she turned around and looked away from him not wanting him to see her tears. She stood that way for a few minutes, ignoring his presence. Tim couldn't bring himself to say anything, scared that one word might break her. When she moved it wasn't towards him but away from him. She sat down in her chair over by her computer and turned it so it was facing away from him on purpose.

Tim finally got up enough courage to say, "Abby I-"

But Abby rolled around and suddenly got up. He could se her dark make-up running down her cheeks. She came up to him and poked him hard in the chest while going on a huge rampage.

"Why won't you just not go? Can't you see that if you go I might never see you again? Can't you just be happy here? Why can't you be the McGee that cared about his friends more than his job!" She was crumbling before his eyes and he couldn't bare the fact that he was the cause of it.

He stuttered, "I….uh…."

Abby came up really close to him and reared her hand back to slap him but he caught her hand. Abby cursed Gibbs's extra training lessons with Tim. Abby tried to pull away but McGee held onto her wrist. He looked at her and whispered, "Please don't."

Abby rested her hand and when she did Tim raised her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. She immediately felt the burning sensation that went through her skin. Almost felt like electricity. All her nerves surrounded that one kiss. When Tim came apart from her hand and said, "I will come back."

Abby shook her head, "You might." And with that she grabbed her remote unlocked and opened the door. Tim looked at her as she sat back down into her chair, silent.

He enforced, "I will come back, Abby!"

She turned her chair around again. Getting ready to block another bitch slap from Abby, Tim rose his hand up defensively. Abby slightly smiled and took his hand in hers and brought it down. She leaned up and kissed him sweetly on the cheek. He closed his eyes as she came apart. This was starting to become unbearable for Tim. He brought her closer to him in a hug as he kissed her fore head. She closed her eyes as he kissed her.

"Oh Abby…." Tim said, as his lips came away from her head but only to be replaced by his own fore head. "You are making this way too difficult."

Abby sighed and said, "Please don't go."

Tim ignored his feelings for her and said, "No I have to go. It's time. Good Bye Abbs."

As Tim pulled away from her she said in voice that was layered thick with anger and venom, "Don't call me Abbs. Only my friends can call me that."

Now, Tim definitely felt that. As if those words had sliced into his heart. He was going to turn around but stubborn tears arrived in his eyes. He turned around anyways and when Abby saw him she brought her hand up to her mouth. "Oh McGee… I can't believe…I didn't mean… oh God, I'm so sorry."

Tim said the first sentence he could think of. He said, failing to keep his voice from cracking, "Out of all the mean things you have said to me, that crossed the line, Abbs- Oh I'm sorry." He continued, "-That crossed the line, Abigail Scuito."

Abby came forward and said, "I didn't mean to say that, Timmy-"

Tim harshly laughed at her and said, "Oh no you don't, Abigail Scuito. From now on you can call me Timothy McGee."

Abby looked like she was going to say something but stopped as she saw a pretty blonde woman enter the room. Tim turned to see what she was staring at that made her look so broken. Then he saw Agent Liens. Abby couldn't watch this, she felt like she was going to be sick. She made it to the back wall and put her back against it and slowly slid down, crying as she did. She didn't have to see him leave she already knew he did. She had lost him. And even if he did come back safe and sound, she still would probably feel as if he was still lost.


	3. Not Fair

**Almost Too Late**

**Rating:** Teen for violence, language, and suggested themes

**Summary:**Tim tells Abby about his mission and things take a turn for the worse in their friendship. But will the fight bring them closer than ever before when Abby figures out she can't live without Tim?

**Note: I just noticed after i wrote this chapter that the drug lord's name is the same name as the directors name in NCIS. I just want you to know that it isn't Leon Vance i am talking about!**

**Spoilers:**Season 3-8

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><p><strong>Chapter 3:<strong> A Horrible Week

Abby had really done it this time. Tim barley could control his anger in the elevator. He had hit the floor number button so harshly, he practically jammed his finger. Even Agent Liens didn't dare talk to him, his expression and actions told her that he wasn't in a mood to talk.

The second he started feeling regret for how harshly his last sentence had been to Abby, memories of all the bullshit he had been put through by her came crashing back to him.

Tim knew that when Gibbs found Abby in her lab distraught he would probably take the first chance he got to get a hold of Tim and start yelling at him. But Tim found himself not caring.

He believed that Abby had absolutely no reason to act that harshly toward him. He knew it wasn't going to be pleasant news to her just because she had lost so many people but she didn't have to act like she hated him. Or maybe she did actually hate him.

Well he was absolutely done letting her make him feel like crap. From now on, he wasn't going to let Abigail Scuito treat him like shit without him standing up for himself.

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><p>Abby didn't know when she stopped crying. All she knew was that Tim didn't stop and run back to her. He didn't come back and comfort her and say he was sorry or say that he wasn't going. He just left.<p>

She sniffled and took a deep breath. Had she gone too far? She shook her head for asking herself such a dumb question. She basically ruined their 8 year friendship over a 2 week undercover mission.

When Abby got up she stared through her door at the closed elevator ones. She had really upset Tim, this time. She had made him cry, for go sakes!

Abby was about to start crying again but she didn't. Instead, she got angry.

'_Well what do you expect McGee. You tell me you're going on an undercover mission for two weeks and you expect me to be all fine and dandy with it? God, sometimes he pisses me off.'_

Her thinking to herself mean thoughts about Tim wasn't doing the trick because then she flashed back to all the mean things she had said to him.

She started to pace back and forth in her office.

'_How could I have said McGee wasn't my friend? Hell, he's my best-est best friend in the whole wide world. He's never judged, never insulted her, never done anything really mean to upset her. And if it was on accident he would always try to fix it. Why am I so stupid!'_

She decided to call him.

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><p>It rang… and rang… and rang.<p>

All through the week.

Abby would call every morning, afternoon, and night. She could barely think of anything else. Every time she called she'd hope to hear Tim's voice on the other side. But that never happened.

Gibbs knew something was wrong but every time he asked she would just put on a smile and say "Nothing, just missing, McGee."

Gibbs knew it was something else but he didn't want to push Abby. She would tell him if she wanted too.

At night some times Abby would cry. her thinking Tim hated her clawed her up from the inside. She would think of all the special and fun times they had together. And then she would think about the times when she had been mean to him.

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><p>Tim was sitting in a booth right in front of the lead drug lord. The photo he had been given wasn't of the best quality but he could tell that this was his guy. His name was Leon Ravone.<p>

Tim's objective was the norm. Become "business partners" with Leon and make sure he trusted him. Get Leon to show where his stash was. Call authorities. And he was absolutely home free. But he had a week to do just that. It had taken him about 5 days to find a good enough picture to ID Leon and about 2 to actually track him down. By the end of these two weeks Leon and his crew would have cleared out by now. He needed to act quickly and smart.

Right when he was about to make his move, his phone started vibrating. Tim growled and frowned at his pocket. He pulled out his phone and then his anger subsided a little. It was Abby. All this week she had tried to get in touch with him. He couldn't talk to her then and he definitely couldn't talk to her now.

After the phone call went to voicemail he turned his phone all the way off. He stared at it for a minute. Why was she calling him? She made it pretty clear the way she felt about him. The reason he hadn't taken any of her phone calls? He wasn't ready to talk about what went down between them. He hated fighting with Abby but he wasn't gonna let her get away with all the last bad things she had said to him before he left. Those wounds just opened old ones back up.

Wound #1 Abby yelling at Tim for shooting a dog (a German shepherd she named Jethro that now was his) that would have killed him if he hadn't. Abby had acted like she cared for a dog living more than she cared about him living.

Wound #2 Tim pouring his heart out to Abby while the psycho killer had her at gun point and saying that if he killed her he would be killing the only woman Tim ever loved. Sure he said it as if it was in his book but he still meant every word in real life. Then, after saving her life, she practically broke his heart by saying that it was all wrong and then McGregor and Amy were completely wrong for each other.

Wound #3 Abby being absolutely against Tim protecting her from her psycho ex, Mikel, at his house and her not listening to him while she was over. Which had nearly gotten her possibly killed if, once again, Tim hadn't been there to save her.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts he remembered that he was on a mission and mentally slapped himself on the back of his head.

He made his move.

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><p>Through the days, Tim and Leon got to be quite the partners. Tim would tell him where the best places to hit were and Leon would get closer and closer to telling him where the stash of drugs was.<p>

On the last day he decided if Abby called he would talk to her. On his way with his "girlfriend", Agent Liens, to the bar Tim and Leon usually talked.

He suddenly was distracted by a police car chasing down another car that was firing a 9 mm handgun right at the police car. When they swerved around the corner, Liens went down with a bullet wound to the head. She was killed instantly, he could tell by the entry wound. Tim jumped behind the wall of a building but not quick enough to steal a glance at Agent Liens. The scene of her lifeless body on the ground with a bullet wound to the head reminded him of Kate. Forcing himself to snap out of it in a split second he brought his gun up, ready to return fire

Then he felt it.

It didn't hurt at first. But what he did feel was the blood trickling down his fingers as he found the bullet's entry wound around his abdomen. He fell to both knees. He tasted what he thought to be bile but came out as blood as he coughed. He toppled to the floor slowly fading into darkness.

A man carrying a suitcase had seen the whole thing and raced over to Tim. Tim was fading in and out so he couldn't quite see or hear the man correctly. It wasn't until the man had Tim's NCIS ID out that Tim completely blacked out.


End file.
